Root almost nonexistant: family of voles.
When we've had similar problems, often we can see the paired teet marks on the underside of the roses. (I know normal roses don't have undersides, they have masses of roots. With voles, when I pull the rose out of the ground there is a definite bottom and mostly it's exposed wood with tooth marks.)

Can you take a side of it where it might beginning to grow a callus? (We have sort of saved a pink Knock Out) by moving it far from the rodent and giving it its own time to regrow.) I also saved a noisette, Bouganville, which was half gone when we saw it, and we ...let's just say that the perps were recycled on spot as rose fertilizer. And we replanted it there..but the problem was dispatched.

Two years ago DH almost deadheaded a black snake coming out of a hole in the ground near the HPs. Then he stopped and realized that the snake was doing a good thing. So we leave the holes open and depend on the snakes to eat hearty.

Can you maybe save part of that plant in a nursery bed?

(I hate varmints.)

Ann

That's exactly what we find out here from gopher damage, but I don't think you have those there, so Ann is likely on-target with the voles. We use gopher baskets for landscape plantings of roses, and push the wire flat towards the base of the rose all around so the gophers (or in your case, voles) can't just go over the basket and into the base root zone.

--Ron

Ann, you know I was so upset when I found it, and DH said 'Let's just pull it up.' I walked back inside because I was so upset and then I started thinking, "I need to save what I can to get another one from it." I ran out to get it (remembering that it was trash day) and the trash people had already put it in their chopper thing and drove off.

I came back inside and sent a note to Lisa Lou asking if she could root me one.

I plan to do something similar to what Ron suggested if and when I get another one. In the meantime, I have been thinking and most of the snakes we find in our garden are in the vicinity of this same rose bed. In fact, one day I was watering (near the magnolia) and a snake dropped out of the magnolia and crawled away (while my heart was trying to figure out how to restart) into that same bed. I rarely see snakes but DH and gardener see them. I don't see as well and have almost put my hand into some before when gardener or husband would tell me not to do that, there was a sanek inside that plant.

My husband set traps for voles when we did not have a dog (for 2 years) and he caught several snakes in the traps (instead of voles) so we stopped that practice. Our good sentry cat died a few weeks ago and the dog we have now is afraid of rabbits and cats. The remaining cat never goes outside.

I expect it is time to start having better planting practices and maybe a trip to the pound for animals who are more than lovable decor.

Patricia,
I am very sorry about your loss...that really stinks! I hope you can get a new one.

Just thought I would pass along my experience, which may or may not work for you. I have a cat w/some Persian in her (only her tail and her backside look Persian). Up until we got her everything we had planted as well as everything in our neighbor's yard (he has an exceptional garden, btw, much more so than mine) was being eaten by squirrels, rabbits and moles. My neighbor was really heartsick about it. He had a dog, but no cat. We had a cat before this one that was no good (well, he was sweet, but no hunter I mean)...he was so lazy he wouldn't run anything off. However, my neighbor has nicknamed this cat "the Terminator" because we all can garden again! She has run off the snakes, squirrels, raccoons, moles, and rabbits. We all laugh about it and discuss it in the driveway, and she prances by and seems to know she's the star of the show!! :)
My vet says that its the Persian in her. I don't know if that's true or not, but my DH says he has always heard that Persians are fierce hunters. (he also says that snakes won't go around where there is a cat) I'm not sure about that, but I just thought I would pass along my experience. Good luck & I hope you get a new rose!

Michelle

Get a new cat? I am really sorry to hear this.
Hugs,

Carla

Ugh, most definitely sounds like voles. I'm sorry to hear about that. Fields of the Wood is a beautiful rose and I know it was one of your favorites. I've thwarted voles (at least for now) from eating my baptisias and lespedezas by planting those plants in 2-gallon plastic pots with the bottoms cut out and mulching with sharp-edged gravel. Roses would be more difficult to protect since they are more surface feeders than baptisia, which has enormous taproots. But a 3 gallon bucket may work.

Something Alicia mentions is part of my changes in rose growing. Now when I plant a rose and I don't toss the rocks away, I try to clump them so some roots can be protected from the chompers.

I use Perma Till which is gravel. Trying not to lose anymore to those varmints.

Carla

Oh my---this makes me feel so sad !!!Anyone who loves roses can sympathize with you. It is like losing a favorite pet.

I hope you get a new one soon and also a cat with some Persian blood !!!!

Florence

Sorry to hear your bad news. You are one of the bravest rose gardeners I know, keeping on through all sorts of hard knocks. Was your Field of the Woods an own root plant? I have a new Barbara's Pasture Rose from a bit of root my gopher overlooked. Also I soaked the dying remnant plant, then took cuttings. Some of them struck, too. Perhaps you could try to do the same.

The other day my husband Tom spotted a big gopher snake in the back yard. I'm not crazy about them because they closely resemble rattlesnakes, but on the whole I'm very glad to know it is on the job.

Rosefolly

Chipmunks will also eat roots. Cats are definitely the solution. I've never heard that Persians are esp. good hunters. I have found that females are generally better--after all, they have to feed and train the kittens. However, several of my boys are quite good at it, tho they tend to play with the critters longer. In fact, I think the boys regard hunting as an amusement and the critters as toys, while the females consider it business. All (16) of mine are altered, most from a very early age, and that seems to have no bearing on hunting. Neither does hunger or street smarts. I've raised Pablo since he was 7 days old and he is a great vole terminator. Rebecca stopped hunting as soon as Ned was weaned, but Ned hunts now and Tippi, who never had kittens, is one of my two birders. And, by the way, only 20% of cats are birders. While Gideon can snag a bird in mid-air, most of mine have never caught a bird. I maintain a bird feeder right on my deck.

I'd suggest getting two youngsters, not necessarily kittens, one male and one female. Encourage them to garden with you--cats are great supervisors--and give them lots of praise for catching bugs and leaves.

NOT FoW!! Oh, that is just too much, Pat. I'd declare war on the critters.

Carol

I've had good luck scaring voles away with used kitty litter. I put it on the outside of my fence and it keeps them from coming into the garden.
-B

If you'd prefer a canine, our Shiba Inu mix was an excellent voler (at nearly seventeen, she's not so fast and her eyes and ears are going). A few houses ago she was in the backyard regularly, but not the front; after the snow melted in the Spring, the front lawn was a maze of vole tunnels, while the back was completely clean. It was also at that house that I saw her leap up and catch a bird on the wing. She's a healthy, friendly, mid-sized dog; but with an independent mind of her own.

She's got the sesame-style coloring, but is a bit bigger than the breed from whatever mixed itself in.

Here is a link that might be useful: Shiba info

Patricia, I'm so sad for your loss. Three things to say when you feel ready to slap those voles silly:

1. A dog is good, but in our house, more for poop in the tunnels than killing anything at all. Poop in the tunnels is really unpleasant to rodents and they will tunnel away from it to avoid it. You'd have to have your husband or gardener dig to find the tunnels, or maybe dig near the roses that have died, search out the tunnels and plant whatever gift your dog offers you after a particularly stinky meal. I hope this makes you laugh, but it's also true and very effective!
2. One or more hunting cats are good. We have three, all rescued street cats that were raised in our apartment and intended to be indoor cats. However, I wanted them to understand hunting so I would buy grasshoppers at the pet store now and again and we'd hunt them together. They're absolutely awesome hunters since they've been outside at our current house. No voles survive here, never have lost a rose.
3. I bought a Fields of the Wood last year that isn't planted yet. Would you like me to send it to you? If so, email me.

Best,
Sue

Yep, Miss Pat, you're on to something. Roses that big don't just up and die. They are killed. I've planted every rose in a cage since I became aware of the gopher and vole problem in my gardens. My pointers think voles are hors d'oeuvres on four feet. We also have lots of gopher snakes and find the babies in the garage and on the porch every spring. I shovel them up and establish them in the nearest vole hole. And I've been mowing so the raptors can see the rodents easier. It's war out there. We're losing.

What a loss, and for it to be your favorite climber too! All I can offer you is sympathy, since I'm not familiar with how to combat those very rude varmints. You have my sympathy. I can imagine how upsetting that must be. Feel better...((hugs))

Patricia I'm very sorry about this. I have an idea though. My friend David who has been battling voles for years now found a product called Mole Max. It's made with castor bean granules. You put it on and water it in. Animals like voles hate the taste of it in the soil and go elswhere. I think you have to repeat the application at times. It could be worth a try.

I know my cats are not the hunters that their predecessors were.
Late last night, I had proof.
A bark like sound outside, but not in a dog cadence. The urfs were more widely spaced.
It kept urfing. I had enough time to figure where it was, to turn on the flood lights, and to look out and see our big neutered orange striped cat in a standoff (about 15') with a small red fox. I made a noise and the fox took off.

Obviously, I'm going to have help in the rose gardens.

I so appreciate your thoughts and kindnesses. Suze, I want you to plant that FOTW and see what a beautiful rose it is for yourself. Lisa Lou has already responded that she will root one soon, so unless she gets hit with another Katrina type year, I am sure she will. She is such a sweetie but your kindness is always indeed appreciated and never underestimated as very genuine and special.

I feel pretty sure the reason we have had such a small amount of damage secondary to animals through the years was due, at least in part, to our chow and our tuxedo cat. We miss them for more reasons than that but in their declining years we started noticing more evidence of critters/varmints in our garden, loss of all bulbs, corms, rhyzomes, etc., and the small roses and now the brazen buggars are getting braver and taking down the big ones.

Perhaps if we had an outdoor cat, that would help and maybe even 'bulk up' our collie's spine.

When I had a copperhead snake come in my house about 10 years ago, my neighbor's aging father told me I needed a cat that was hungry to find it, that my cats would not seek it out. Interestingly, it was our Persian who is afraid of doorbells and telephone rings who alerted us to its whereabouts and DH came in for the kill but I think the Persian would have been the loser had a battle ensued, but I am just guessing. He has never been outside save once when he sneaked out unbeknownst to us, and was missing for several days. Subsequently, he has learned to stay away from doors which lead outside.

On my way to doing battle with the remains of the day (uh, the garden).

So sorry to hear about Fields of the Woods. I've been waiting for that rose for two seasons.

I walked out on the deck on Wednesday morning and found my male cat taking on a copperhead. I adopted him from the humane society and he had been an indoor cat, but learned hunting quickly. During the time we were without hunting cats, the rodents had moved into the garden big time.

I have two hunting cats, one male, one female. I agree that females are better hunters. I've had two persian mix females and they are/were both ferocious hunting machines.

Baxter at work. {{gwi:262177}}

Dang Patricia! I know how you must be at wits end loosing so many huge roses! I don't have a clue what your problem might be but please keep it in Alabama. I have enough problems here. BTW a friend that lives a few miles from me swears that voles eat and kill some of her plants but I've never seen one here and have no animules in the yard.
Hamp

Patricia,

sorry to hear about your rose. I hate that. I wish I had an extra FotW sitting around to send you but alas... I guess I'll just have to hope you find a new one soon.

You did make me laugh when you said, "maybe a trip to the pound for animals who are more than lovable decor." At least you're keeping up your good sense of humor!